CAIRO - Israeli air strikes on three houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed at least 25 Palestinians and wounded many others, medics said on April 29, as leaders of Hamas arrived in Cairo for a new round of talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

In Gaza City, in the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli warplanes struck two houses, killing at least four people and wounding several others, health officials said.

The strikes on Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering from months of Israeli bombardment, came hours before Egypt was expected to host leaders of the Islamist group Hamas to discuss prospects for a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The Israeli military said it was checking the reports.

Speaking on April 29 at a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, but it was waiting for a response on the plan from Israel and Hamas.

“We are hopeful the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides, has tried to extract moderation from both sides, and we are waiting to have a final decision,” Mr Shoukry said.

Asked about the new round of talks in Cairo, a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort told Reuters: “Things look better this time.” He declined to say whether an agreement was imminent.

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas, which controls Gaza, in a military operation that has killed more than 34,000 people, 34 of them in the past 24 hours, and wounded 77,643, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

The war has displaced most of the 2.3 million population and laid much of the enclave to waste.

It was triggered by an attack by Hamas militants on Israel on Oct 7 that killed 1,200 people and led to 253 being taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

An assault on Rafah, which Israel says is the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, has been anticipated for weeks.

But foreign governments and the United Nations have expressed concern that such action could result in a humanitarian disaster, given the number of displaced people crammed into the area.

On April 28, Hamas officials said a delegation led by Mr Khalil Al-Hayya, the group’s deputy Gaza chief, would discuss a ceasefire proposal handed by Hamas to mediators from Qatar and Egypt, as well as Israel’s response.

Mediators backed by the United States have stepped up their efforts to conclude a deal as Israel threatened to invade Rafah.

Two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters did not disclose details of the latest proposals.

But a source briefed on the talks told Reuters that Hamas is expected to respond to Israel’s latest truce proposal delivered on April 27.

The source said this included an agreement to accept the release of fewer than 40 hostages in exchange for releasing Palestinians held in Israeli jails, and to a second phase of a truce that includes a “period of sustained calm” – Israel’s compromise response to a Hamas demand for a permanent ceasefire.

After the first phase, Israel would allow free movement between south and north Gaza and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the source said.

A senior Hamas official told Reuters the April 29 talks in Cairo will take place between the Hamas delegation and the Qatari and Egyptian mediators to discuss remarks the group has made over the Israeli response to its recent proposal.

“Hamas has some questions and inquires over the Israeli response to its proposal, which the movement received from mediators on Friday,” the official told Reuters.

Those comments suggested Hamas may not hand an instant response to mediators over Israel’s latest proposal.

Meanwhile, at a hospital in Rafah, relatives of those killed by the Israeli strikes came to take bodies away for burial. Women and men cried as they bid farewell to the slain relatives wrapped in white and black shrouds.

“His name is Deif-Allah (meaning guest in Arabic) and he was indeed a guest. He came as a guest after (his parents) longed for (him) for so long, after 10 years,” said Mr Abu Taha, holding the body of his baby boy, wrapped in a white shroud, in his arms.

“Ten people (were killed), the mother, her daughter, her granddaughters, her grandson, her son-in-law, their daughters and relatives, everyone. They’re all gone, all 10 of them,” Mr Abu Taha said. REUTERS